Duds for Dummies
by LordLenne
Summary: Lisia and Brendan help introduce Wally to try out a Pokemon Contest. The first step is getting Wally the perfect outfit...but they both have trouble finding such an outfit for him. Strong hints of Brendan/Wally Raltsshipping Loverivalshipping.


"All right, Blaziken! Show off your _Splendid Inferno_!"

Brendan struck a distinct pose, thrusting his fist and body forward in which his Blaziken perfectly mimicked. The floor around them ignited with scorching light, and spheres of fire appeared beside Blaziken. The audience could hear the flames sizzling louder and louder, and their anticipation only growing more frantic and burst into complete awe as a tall pillar of fire surrounded the Pokémon, crashing and flowing off the ceiling of the room.

The judges and stage host were too, captivated by the _coolness_ of Brendan and his Blaziken, as they both glowed fiery for a good few seconds. Knowing that they ended on a winning note, they strutted off the stage keeping their cool, wowing everyone one last time.

Within the audience's cheers and applaud, a certain boy had watched the performance from the beginning to the end. He couldn't help but gasp in amazement when he saw Pokémon and their trainers performing in unique ways, but especially tried to cheer as loud as he could while he watched his friend's performance. His eyes lit up with the same fiery passion as the Blaziken he watched, wanting to win an audience's love just as the performers did.

After the accolades, Brendan headed to the green room and sat in one of the many empty chairs to rest. He let out a huge sigh and emptied all his weariness in one go. He then brought up the Pokéball in his hand, smiling at his winning Blaziken.

The sound of the door opening caused Brendan to turn around, and he saw Lisia enter the room. He was met with an excited expression.

"You were spectacular!" Lisia exclaimed, motioning her joy. "To think I only introduced you to Pokemon Contests just a week ago, and here you are, winning your first Super Rank! You're moving so fast in your story!" Lisia nodded with affirmation. "This next chapter… I'm naming it _Super Rank Victory! The Rising Star_!"

Brendan nervously chuckled. "At this rate, I think I'll blast through the Hyper Rank contest pretty smoothly, too."

"Don't be so overconfident," Lisia says, giggling. "Hyper is a BIG jump from Super, and it'll only get harder from here on out. But I know for sure you'll pull through—you're too cool to NOT win!"

Brendan nodded. "Thanks, Lisia."

A knocking on the green door paused the cheery mood, warning the two about another room entry. They looked over and saw a face familiar to Brendan walking in. The boy, timid of Lisia's presence, bravely walked towards the two.

"Oh, hello!" Lisia called out. "May we help you?"

Brendan stood up, his eyes widening to ensure he was seeing the boy clearly. "Wally?"

"Hi Brendan," the shorter boy responded.

"Oh! Is this a friend of yours?" Lisia questioned.

Brendan nodded, "Yeah. What're you doing here?"

"I came to see a Pokémon contest for the first time," he answered. "But I never expected you to be one of the performers. I wanted to congratulate you for winning. You looked so cool up there!"

"Thanks, Wally," Brendan responded.

Wally smiled, and then he turned his eyes to the girl. "And you're Lisia, right? I heard about you before. You're much prettier in person."

"Why, thank you!" Lisia exclaimed. "Brendan, you have such a kind friend here."

"He's the nicest guy I know," he told her.

Wally let out a deep sigh. "I'd like to ask a favor, Brendan."

"What is it?"

"Could you…" Wally huffed in lightly, "…teach me how to perform?"

Both Lisia and Brendan blinked. "You mean like, you want to enter a Pokémon Contest?"

"I do," Wally nodded. "I want to know how it feels like up there… but I don't know the first thing about being a performer. And seeing you up there, you looked just so cool, everyone loved you!"

"Being a coordinator is no simple task," Lisia told. "But you are right—the feeling is so wonderful! Standing on stage, posing with your Pokemon, showing off your move combinations, and holding a beautiful ribbon as proof of your hard work—it's a miraculous feeling!"

"I bet!" Wally exclaimed eagerly. "That's why I also want to try winning, too. I don't know if I'll keep performing after…but I still want to try!"

Lisia nodded, grinning. "I see a little pebble, determined to explore a brand-new world. But he does need some polishing before he can step out." She looked over to the other boy, urging him. "Brendan?"

Brendan smiled. "It's no problem, I'll help you."

"Really?!" Wally exclaimed. He saw Brendan nod at him. "You're the best!"

Lisia closed her eyes, nodding and grinning. "The rising star takes in a young novice to train for his first Pokémon contest. What an interesting development!"

"I'm still pretty new to contests myself, though," Brendan told. "Could I ask for your help too, Lisia?"

Lisia nodded. "Of course! I know, this can be a side story! _A Surprise Encounter: Lisia's Secondary Scouting_!

"Secondary?" Wally repeated.

Lisia nodded promptly. "An inspired novice, ready to learn about the dazzling world of Pokémon Contests! But because my fellow scout Brendan offered to be your coach instead—then in a way, I scouted you, too!"

"I guess…it makes sense?" Wally uttered. He nodded and bowed to Lisia. "Thank you for your help!"

"Please, no need to be formal!" she waved off. "Consider me a friend. And as your friend, I'll help guide you to winning your first contest!"

Wally nodded. "I appreciate it."

"Now, the first step," Lisia pointed firmly at the green-haired boy, "your outfit."

"My outfit?" he repeated.

"You cannot simply just perform in regular, plain looking clothes! You need to look appealing on stage. Why, look at Brendan! Doesn't he look so cool?"

Brendan posed with hands on his hips, smirking at Wally. He urged out a response from him. "Yeah, he does! I wanna be just like him!"

Lisia thought out loud. "Well, I can't give you an exact copy of Brendan's outfit…but I'm sure there's something for you in the wardrobe!" She walked over to the giant dresser in the corner of the room and rummaged through it.

Wally turned back to Brendan. "You really do look cool," he complimented, looking up and down Brendan's Contest Costume. He followed up with a softer voice. "…Handsome, I might add."

Brendan beamed with glee, pretending that he didn't hear Wally's lowered voice. "Thanks." They looked into each other's eyes in the upcoming silence. Brendan found a little spark in Wally's eyes—an eager, simple soul—curious about all the new and fantastic things he had seen. He was certain that it was an effect of the shorter boy idolizing him, probably after being seen on the contest stage. Though, knowing about Wally's health condition, he expressed genuine concern. "Do you think you can do it? Won't your illness be in the way?"

"I think I'll be fine," Wally told. "I improved a lot since we last met. Health-wise… and battle-wise, too."

"Maybe we could have a battle later to see?" Brendan winked.

Wally grinned back. "I'd like that."

"Ah, there's just nothing!" Lisia yelled, throwing clothes into the air.

Brendan walked over, scratching the back of his head nervously. "What do you mean there's nothing? It's like three closets in there!"

"I know, but…" Lisia turned to Wally, who had just walked up to her. She angled her fingers into a rectangle, capturing a portrait of Wally in the gap. "Wally is just…special." She sighed, and frowned while thinking with eyes closed. "And the outfits in here are… _too_ special. He needs a look that makes him really stands out, though not too much. And I don't have something like that in here."

"What do we do then?" Brendan asked.

Lisia paused for a moment, thinking and closing her eyes. It only took a few seconds before she came with a conclusion. "Shopping."

"Huh?" the two boys sounded.

"We _are_ in Lilycove City, home to the biggest stores in Hoenn! Let's go see if the right clothes are out there, waiting to be bought and worn by Wally! As a bonus, I'll buy them for you!"

"Oh, I couldn't ask that of you…" Wally reluctantly told. "I can buy them myself."

"Nonsense! It's my duty as a scouter to help fulfill my scouts' dreams. And I can't do that without making you look good." Lisia pointed to the door, walking towards it and taking the lead. "So, let's go!"

 **:*:**

The three of them made their way to the Lilycove Department Store. The boys were still amazed by the size of the building, well reflecting the length of the floor inside. Lisia approached the first-floor receptionist, the lady behind the counter expressing a different welcoming smile towards them.

"Welcome, Miss Lisia!" the lady called over.

"Good afternoon!" Lisia responded. "Today is an extraordinary, yet miraculous day!"

"And how may I help you on another miraculous day?" the lady played along.

Lisia waved Wally to approach the desk, and he stood beside her. "This is Wally," she began, lightly patting the boy's shoulder. "A few letters short of my Uncle's name—a boy who has yet to begin the first chapter of his story, but is a determined spirit who wants to try out his first contest! And to do that, we need the perfect outfit for him."

The lady bowed. "I understand." She reached for something under the counter, and handed a key to Lisia. "Enjoy your stay!"

Brendan noticed the dangling key ring in Lisia's finger. "What's that for?"

Lisia began walking to the elevator. "You'll see. Come on!"

The three boarded the elevator, and the doors closed. Instead of pressing a button, Lisia inserted the key into the panel, and twisted it. The elevator began to move upwards, and the two boys watched the floor numbers light up as they reached the fifth floor. However, the elevator didn't stop, and instead continued to move upwards past the fifth floor. The bell dinged, and the elevator eventually came to a halt. The doors opened to a completely refined floor, and the boys gasped in amazement.

"Welcome to a new generation!" Lisia exclaimed, spreading her arms as she walked out. "The sixth floor!"

"Wow…" Wally stepped out first and looked around the floor, with Brendan following suit. Multiple mannequins and clothes racks and shelves were spread around the pink quartz floor. A single sales clerk was patiently standing at her desk in the middle, welcoming the trio in.

"I didn't know there was a sixth floor," Brendan told. "I didn't think it was even possible."

"That is because this floor is only known to special people," Lisia explained. "Consider yourselves my personal guests!"

"This is amazing!" Wally added. He went to the nearest rack and examined some of the boys' clothing as a few fancy, shiny fabrics caught his eye. "These look so…sophisticated."

"Now, now, leave the clothes hunting to me," Lisia stated. "Just sit in the dressing area and wait, if you don't mind."

"Okay." Wally walked over to the corner of the floor, where a few dressing booths were located. He sat down and patiently waited, watching Lisia look around.

"Ah, is there anything you want too, Brendan?" Lisia asked.

"Well, I could look around," he replied.

"Please, feel free! I'll pay for you too, just this once." Lisia resumed going through boys' clothing, switching from racks to shelves and even staring at a couple of mannequins, hoping to take the clothes they were wearing off. Instead, she continued searching for particular pieces.

Brendan took up the offer and explored the store in a different area, farther from Lisia. He noticed a certain ring rack of clothes, with designs too unique that even he could see stood out from the rest of the floor. As he walked forward, Lisia zoomed right past him, going through the rack quickly and taking every other hangar of clothing into her arm. He took note of the fully original designs that Lisia pulled out from the rack, believing that they resembled Contest Costumes like his own. Watching Lisia rush over to Wally, he gave up his clothes hunt and joined them for the moment.

"Okay, I got a bunch you can try on!" Lisia told, spreading the clothes on an available bench.

"Wow…" Wally perused each piece of clothing from left to right.

"Is there one you would like to try first?" Lisia questioned.

"This one!" Wally took a hangar of clothing and went into one of the booths. Waiting, Brendan sat down while Lisia organized and laid out the clothing she grabbed, as if expecting him to try on everything she picked out.

The sounds of clothes rustling against skin faded out from behind the booth curtain, and Wally eventually stepped out. Donned on him was a long-sleeved crewneck and vest combo, both colored with different shades of lustrous blue, bringing out a certain charm in the navy dress pants and ankle-high shoes.

"Wow, Wally!" Brendan exclaimed, standing up. "You look amazing!"

"Thanks," Wally responded, blushing pink.

"Hmm…" Lisia captured Wally within her camera fingers again, and shook her head. "I'm not feeling it on this one."

"Seriously?" Brendan inquired. "He looks great!"

"I agree, but not great enough I'm afraid," Lisia told. "He has to make an incredible first impression, and I don't believe he'll achieve that with this." She grabbed a few pieces of clothing, and handed them to Wally. "Here, try these next!"

Wally reentered the booth with the new clothes, and a moment later, he comes out with the new attire. It was a mix between a formal suit and lab coat attire. If he had styled his hair some more, he would have looked very classy, and Lisia took that to mind. The look gave Brendan a new perspective towards him—he voiced his appeal and made the boy blush again.

"I'm still not feeling it," Lisia concluded. "Next!"

Wally continued to change outfits given to him, their time spent clearly conveyed like a montage of continuous outfit changes. Lisia, while giving friendly encouragement every few outfits, persisted the boy to keep switching clothes out. Brendan maintained giving out genuine compliments for every outfit Wally wore, but at some point, he felt his words only became courteous obligations as Lisia continued to deny clothes.

A couple of times, Lisia gave Wally a couple of joke clothing—attire that ensured a fit of giggles for all three of them. In all playfulness and seriousness, they spent a good half hour on the sixth floor together. Wally's body almost ached from moving his arms and legs through fabrics often, and he was given a break, albeit only a couple of minutes. He rested in the booth with a new piece to wear as soon as he felt better.

As they conversed about both Brendan's and Wally's journeys to pass the time, Lisia received a phone call.

"Ah, I have to take this," Lisia stated. "Wally, you better be in that suit when I come back!" She retreats from the area, turning away from the boys.

"Psst, Brendan!"

The brunet looked over to the dressing booth where the voice came from. Wally's head was poking out, and then his hand poked through to wave him over. Brendan walked over and stood in front of the stall, but was then tugged in by two petite hands.

"Whoa—" Brendan grunted out quietly. In the secluded space, he looked down at Wally to see that the shorter boy was looking frantic. He put up an expression he didn't expect to see while he was here.

"Something wrong?" Brendan asked.

"This is too much, Brendan," Wally told. "I didn't think being a coordinator was this tough."

"We're only just getting started, Wally," Brendan assured. "Lisia's just making sure you make a big impression when you get on stage."

"Um…about that," Wally sighed. "I'm not sure if I want to perform any more."

"Why's that?"

"Well, all these clothes—they all look great to me. But if Lisia's being really picky about me making a great first impression, it makes me think: what if I mess up somehow? I'll look like a dork, no matter how good my costume looks."

Brendan smiled, and rested his hands on Wally's shoulders. "You'll be fine, Wally."

"But what if…I trip on stage? Or I call out the wrong move to my Pokémon? I'll look so bad, I may not ever get the chance to win a contest at all."

"Wally, I know you're strong enough to know that if you fall, you can get back up no matter how hard it is. Didn't you feel that way when you lost your first few Pokémon battles?"

Brendan stared hard into Wally's eyes, trying to convince him of the fact. The green-haired boy nodded slowly, and lightly sighed.

"And," Brendan continued, "Pokémon Contests aren't just about winning—it's about having fun, too. _Just_ like Pokémon battles."

"Like Pokémon battles…" Wally repeated.

Brendan nodded, "Mm-hm. Don't you think it'll be fun on stage, showing off cool moves with your Pokémon?"

Wally nodded. "I do."

"Then that's all that matters. I mean, I think Lisia's going over the top trying to find the 'perfect' outfit for you…but if you want my opinion, I think you look great in anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah—you're cute, no matter what you wear."

Wally's face shifted bright pink, looking as if he almost froze on the spot, but he managed to slip out a single word. "…Cute?"

Brendan froze in place, his expression almost completely still. "I…uh, forget I said that." He quickly leaves the stall, standing right behind the curtain. He clutches his heart to try and steady his heartbeat, for only a few seconds ago it was beating normally. He had an assumption why he felt so flustered, but didn't want to admit it for now.

He waited a moment more, standing by the booth while continuing to watch Lisia converse on her phone from far away. He was about to take a deep sigh to relax himself, until he heard Wally speak again.

"Brendan! I need your help!" he called out.

The other boy responded back. "What's wrong?"

Instead of a verbal reply, Wally's finger prodded out again, inviting Brendan into the booth. The taller boy reluctantly entered again, and found his friend almost in different attire. He was attempting to put on the new costume that he was instructed to wear, but had trouble as he only wore it half-way from bottom up. Wally turned around, revealing a sight into his flat, smooth skin as exposed by the unbound zipline of his jumpsuit.

"I can't get into this suit," Wally said. "The zipper's stuck."

"All right, stay still." Brendan holds the boy still with one hand, and attempts to pull upward on the zipper with his other hand. The zipper doesn't go up with the normal effort he thought was needed, and so Brendan exerts more force, successfully zipping upwards. However, even as he wasn't wearing it, he feels the fabric wrapping closely against Wally's body, denoting a stiff fit on him.

"Wait—Brendan, it's too tight!" Wally protested in a whisper.

"For now, Wally. It's okay, just endure it." Brendan continues to pull upward, finally reaching halfway the zipline.

"But—ah, ow!"

Brendan noticed that the zipper was touching Wally's skin, and immediately paused. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"A little..." Wally rolls his shoulders and upper body, loosening what he thought was tension from the clothing. "Actually, it feels better now."

"Okay, so then I can keep going?"

"Yeah, but slowly, please. I'm pretty fragile."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle now."

"Wh-What's this?!" The two boys heard a loud gasp from the other side of the curtain. "Am I hearing this right?! Two friends together in a public area, committing something so—so…immoral! So shocking! Though, I suppose it's adventurously romantic… but such an unexpected twist in this story! _The Star and his Pupil: Scandalous Passion!"_

Brendan quickly opened the curtain and found Lisia blushing, covering her face. "It's not like that!" he yelled at her. Wally peeked from behind the curtain, watching Lisia joke around more with the other boy. He ended up giggling at the sight, hearing the silly argument they were having.

The laughing fit caught the other two off guard, and they smiled at Wally. Brendan was the only one who let his tongue slip, admiring the boy's attractiveness.

"So cute," he mumbled lowly. Though, it was loud enough for Lisia, and an idea struck her.

"Cute?" Lisia stared blankly, thinking upon the word. "Cute." She repeated it a couple more times. "Cute… cute! that's it!"

She didn't give any further explanation, and immediately ran off to the sales clerk on the floor to get some advice. The two boys couldn't hear what she voiced, or figure out what she had in mind. They simply watched her scurry to one part of the floor, look through a rack pointed out to her by the sales clerk. Folded fabrics of green and white were in her arm as she scampered back to Wally.

"Here, put these on instead!" she exclaimed.

"Uh…okay." He returned into the booth and began changing again.

"Something up?" Brendan questioned.

"I think I found the perfect outfit!" Lisia answered.

"You said that a couple of times already," he retorted. "What's different now?"

"We completely ignored the fact that we could capitalize on a contest category," Lisia stated. "Remember?" She lifted a finger for each one she listed, "Beauty, Cleverness, Toughness, Coolness, and _Cuteness_."

"And we're capitalizing on…?" Brendan followed up.

"You'll see!" Lisia answered, smirking.

"I'm done!" Wally called out.

Wally pushed open the curtain one more time, and revealed his new attire. He had donned elegant silks primarily painted with two colors—a dress shirt and pants of pure white, and an emerald jacket ornamented with simple, yet lustrous golden patterns. A snowy cravat was added on top of his chest, also laced with the same silk material. The boy looked preciously petite before, and the entire outfit only amplified his appeal. Perhaps if he styled his hair a bit more, he would look like a proper prince, but the way he looked now was just as daintily unique.

Brendan and Lisia stared at him for a while, with expressions of awe that gave the boy a hint as to what they felt. However, he preferred a verbal response, and urged one out.

"How do I look?" Wally asked.

"S-s-s-so…" Lisia began, still in shock from her work, "So _CUUUTE_! It's so _PERFECT_ for you!"

"Cute?" Wally looked down at his outfit, and then looked into a nearby body mirror, examining his outfit. "I'm…cute? Really?"

"Something wrong with cute?" Lisia questioned, smiling giddly.

"I kind of wanted to be cool like Brendan," Wally answered. He tugged on his cravat, and then patted down his stomach and waist. "Though I suppose this is just as good."

"Trust me, you are going to WOW them on stage!" Lisia added. "It's just simply…you! No one else could wear this _but_ you! So handsome, so cute, so perfect!"

"Oh shucks…" Wally blurted, blushing and looking away. He noticed Brendan was completely still, and has yet to say anything. "Brendan? What do you think?"

He had so many words to offer minutes ago, but this time he was just at a loss. Between his choices of saying he loved it and continuing to be absolutely silent from awe, he was still unable to process how irresistibly cute Wally was in his costume. A pat on the back from Lisia helped him utter out a few words.

"Great! Amazing!" he blurted out. "It's really great! Lisia's right, it's so…you."

"Thanks…I guess?" Wally responded. He knew Brendan meant genuine good in his words, but he had hoped to have received something better than a slow broken chain of compliments. Still, he felt satisfied with the result, and was happy overall.

Lisia clapped her hands together. "All right, now all you need is to practice performing with your Pokémon, and you'll win the Cuteness contests without breaking a sweat!"

"Do you have a Pokémon you want to perform with?" Brendan asked.

"Well, I was thinking I could go with my Kirlia…" Wally answered. "Oh, I have a Skitty, too!"

"A Skitty?" Brendan questioned.

"Your Skitty would be perfect for the contest," Lisia voiced. "A dashing young prince and his adorable little companion on a live stage, both boasting with endless cuteness! You're going to take the audience by storm, no doubt!"

"Skitty it is," Wally nodded. "We'll practice today, and then we'll enter tomorrow!"

"Good plan!" Lisia agreed. "Now, let's buy you your costume and get started!"

 **:*:**

Brendan and Lisia helped Wally on the basics of performing, detailing how well a Pokemon's moves could be appealing and thought out ideas on how to bring the best out of Wally's Skitty. Though, it wasn't too difficult for them, as Wally practiced in his Contest Costume alongside his Skitty in public, and they caught the attention of bystanders easily for a while. Wally found the perfect combination of moves to work along with, and decided to end the day early for a good night's rest.

Lisia escorted the two boys to the Pokémon Center and then waved farewell, wishing Wally good luck for tomorrow and promising to cheer him on. The two boys ended up rooming together for the night.

Wally had just finished neatly folding his Contest Costume and set it next to his bag. He stared at it for a good while as he sat on his bed, his whole body squirmy with anticipation.

"Excited for tomorrow?" Brendan questioned, sitting down next to him.

Wally lightly chuckled, noticing how uneasy he was feeling. "Yeah. And a little nervous."

"You're going to do great," Brendan assured. "You practiced hard, and you've got the perfect costume to boot. You're going to win for sure."

"Thanks." Wally nodded at him.

Without much left to say, Brendan stood up and began to approach his bed. However, Wally quickly tugged on him for the last time.

"Hey, Brendan?" he began.

The brunet turned around. "Yeah?"

"…Am I really cute?"

Brendan was too hesitant to immediately answer. Wally asked the question with such a sincere expression that he wasn't sure if he was joking or serious. There was nothing to benefit from saying otherwise, so he went with his honest feelings this time.

"You're incredibly cute," Brendan answered. A faint compassionate blush appeared on his face as he smiled, and gestured a light pat on Wally's head, one that was welcomed and gave him a fuzzy warmth.

Wally brightly grinned back, his heart almost fluttering with glee.


End file.
